EC, Nadra sign accord to update electoral rolls

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission (EC) and the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Monday finally signed a contract to use the authority’s CNICs (citizens data) for verification, up-gradation and augmentation of the computerised electoral rolls.

The CNIC will be used as a unique identifier of genuine voters, eliminating the possibility of entry of bogus identities in the new electoral rolls to be readied by end of December this year. A contract was signed between ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan and Nadra Chairman Ali Arshad Hakeem here at the Election Commission Secretariat.

The electoral body will kick off from July 18 a door-to-door verification of over 80 million electors, as a recent legislation had made production of the computerised identity mandatory for registration of a voter and casting of vote. The door-to-door verification exercise will continue till August 18.

Speaking on the occasion, the secretary ECP called upon all the adult citizens to obtain their CNIC from Nadra in order to qualify for registration as a genuine voter. “In a democracy, each vote is important as the will of the people is expressed through the ballot,” he maintained.

He said the Nadra would provide certain other services as well as provision of prints of draft electoral rolls based on new census block codes; digitisation of changes made during door-to-door verification process; printing of agreed numbers of sets (copies) of preliminary electoral rolls; incorporation of changes made during display process and printing of agreed number of copies of final electoral rolls, its binding and distribution.

Ishtiak Ahmed said that preparation of accurate computerised electoral rolls had been a constant demand of all the political parties, civil society, media and the entire nation as it constituted the corner stone of any credible, free and fair elections.

He contended it was imperative to devise a foolproof system to eliminate any possibility of bogus entries and the revision of the voter lists as per CNIC was a major step towards achieving that objective.
Source: The News
Date:6/28/2011